Theresa’s Story

It's only in the dark skies that we can see the brilliance of the stars...

My Story & How YUM Came To Be…

As you may know, I’m a psychologist and a mom. The truth is, I am now also a Gourmet Raw Food Chef and Nutrition Instructor, as well as a Certified Integrative Energy Healer, and student of several other osteopathic healing modalities (e.g. Craniosacral Therapy, Lymph Drainage, Visceral Manipulation, and Neural Manipulation). However, becoming a chef was a very unexpected development.

While I’ve always been a great cook, historically I never really liked to cook! Especially growing up in a very gender-typed family, I grew up associating “cooking” with “women’s work”. As a strong and opinionated woman, it is not difficult to appreciate my lack of affection for the activity. This all changed, though, when I became extremely ill and debilitated and didn’t know if I would live long enough to keep my daughter from becoming motherless before she graduated high school. It is pretty incredible how motivating the desire to stay alive can be and how potent the desire to be there for others can be.

It was in 1997 that the test began. It was really scary—my immune system was kaput—gone! Every pathogen possible ravaged my body and my poor respiratory system had difficulty offering me the breath of life. It was a long and winding road, filled with multi-organ inflammation and dysfunction, including my joints, skin and neurological systems, as well as my respiratory and digestive systems. I was in pain in every cell of my body, with the toxicity within me (due to natural, as well as pharmaceutical inputs) ravaging within me. It was ugly.

Unrecognizable and with a failed immune system that hit her like a Mack truck after the birth of her daughter, Theresa’s “new normal” in life was filled with perpetual infection, inflammation and chronic pain. The small airways of her lungs were wrecked and her tonsils and glands were infected and swollen for at least seven to eight years straight, without a moment’s respite. She had no idea that gluten and other food sensitivities were virtually killing her. Previous pleasures like singing, ballroom dance, power volleyball and hikes in nature became distant memories she thought she’d never experience again.

After over a dozen years of profound struggling, I accidentally discovered that at the root of my debilitation was my body’s disapproval of some of the food that I ate—most notably, gluten, dairy, and potatoes. Once this awareness came to the light, my health finally began to turn around. It was a long journey, but an important point along the way was when I decided to shift my perspective about my food restrictions to focus on what I “could” eat, instead of what I had to live without. I thought of it like a painter’s palette to create new art and as a creative challenge.

At first, the process seemed grim, but being the persistent solution-seeker that I am, nothing could stop me on my mission. After years of experimenting, I successfully created insanely yummy and healthy plant-based food concepts that everyone in my family could love, even without gluten, dairy, sugar, eggs, potatoes, and many other foods that can give lots of folks a tough time.

This was not my plan, but it was my Destiny—and one that I would never want to change. Because of my suffering, I now have been able to create a gift for others—the resource that I wish I could have found when I was so sick. I want to optimally help others prevent themselves from having to go through what I did, if possible. If it is too late for that, I want to help those who are struggling find respite, ease and joy in their lives again.

Many others are like me—the symptoms are there and may have been throughout their lives. For example, I had migraines, rosacea, asthma, digestive problems and anemia since childhood, but never knew that the food I was eating was causing it. The crazy thing is that I know that I am not unique in this. Countless people have gas, skin rashes, headaches, heartburn, etc. and think that these symptoms are just a necessary part of living—when oftentimes, they actually may not be. Knowing this, I am committed to share what I have learned so that even children can avoid this dark and lonely path and instead live vibrant and healthy lives. This is what YUM has been created to do.

Please consider making a donation to support the continuance of The Dr. Theresa Nicassio Show and this website. Your donations and sponsorship really matter, however large or small. Thank you for being a part of this vision of hope for a better world.

“Our footprints on the planet, our bodies, and on each other’s hearts really do matter.” ~Dr. Theresa